This winter has been a shit show, but you don’t need me to tell you that. I’ve significantly let my training go and I’m now paying the price. The biggest drop in my fitness is felt when I’m done with a run. I remember when I first started running, how red my face was when I was finished, and that shit is happening again. It’s fucking embarrassing, but at least I know what’s happening and that a month is too fucking long to take off drinking beer, eating cake and playing video games.

This week I just started. 4 slow, short runs so far, but it’s definitely a start. I hate how far I’ve slid, but I’m trying to focus on building my base back up. I know that I can get back to where I was so that’s not really bothering me. It’s mostly that I’m sore and tired from distances that I was past being sore and tired from years ago. Damn that cake was amazing.

I’m trying hard to beat the February doldrums with anything I can to shake it up. Yes, even shaving the beard. When I was younger and felt I needed to make a mental switch, I’d shave my head. Not exactly sure why I thought a physical change would help with a mental hurdle, but it did. Before I shaved the beard, I thought I would miss it or quickly realize that I’d made a huge mistake, but really it’s not that big a deal. I might put it back on come fall, but for now, I’m enjoying not having beard in my food or food in my beard.

Yesterday I planned on hitting the treadmill and bike at the gym, but unfortunately, ran out of time and was only able to run. I did manage to get in 8 miles, split between 4 miles of quarter mile intervals and 4 miles of an easier pace. One thing I love about the gym is that I can catch up on my Hulu queue. If the wife doesn’t particularly like a show, I toss it into my gym queue. I’m currently watching the new X-Files and 11.22.63 which I’m completely digging on. Without spoiling anything, the last few minutes of the second episode of 11.22.63 was so frantic that I unconsciously sped up my cadence and almost ran into the front of the treadmill.